The Birth of a Nation

"The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!"

1915 3h 15m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🔥

91%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 617🍅91%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 26,892

DramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.

“The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lillian Gish
Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
Mae Marsh
Flora Cameron
Henry B. Walthall
Col. Ben Cameron
Miriam Cooper
Margaret Cameron
Mary Alden
Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia
Ralph Lewis
Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman
George Siegmann
Lieut. Governor Silas Lynch
Walter Long
Gus

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: D.W. Griffith
Writers: Frank E. Woods, D.W. Griffith, Thomas F. Dixon Jr.
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 195 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $100M — a 1000.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

111 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Life of a Nation Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by D.W. Griffith, shot by Joseph Carl Breil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jon Mirsalis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joseph Henabery shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

D.W. Griffith directs. Joseph Carl Breil behind the camera. Jon Mirsalis scores. Joseph Henabery cuts. A long sit — settle in. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 195 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $100M — a 1000.0× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
4111 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Part of the "The Life of a Nation Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by D.W. Griffith, shot by Joseph Carl Breil. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Jon Mirsalis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Joseph Henabery shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh and Henry B. Walthall carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The Fiery Cross of the Ku Klux Klan!".
11IMDB entry: tt0004972 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 13 themes, including "army", "ku klux klan", "southern usa", "conspiracy theory".
13Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Carl Breil
Original score: Jon Mirsalis
Editing: Joseph Henabery
Costume design: Robert Goldstein
Runtime: 195 min · 3h 15m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $100,000
Box office: $100,000,000
Return: 100000% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 26,892 votes
MPAA: TV-PG

Awards

2 wins

Part of

The Life of a Nation Collection

Two epics portraying fictional events within the context of America's history.

Also by

D.W. Griffith

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

prabhushakti2018-03-03
★ 10/10
He achieved what no other known man has ever achieved. To watch his work is like being witness to the beginning of melody, or the first conscious use of the lever or the wheel; the emergence, coordination, and first eloquence of language; thebirth of an art: and to realize that this is all the work of one man. - James Agee Griffith demonstrated to every filmmaker and moviegoer who followed him what a movie was, and what a movie could be. - Roger Ebert

Production companies